Stones?

[janeyo]

Hi what are people's opinions on stones on beds? I am making my veg beds now and they are full of stones. I have been getting rid of the big ones but not sure if I need to get rid of them all? Might be there all week!

I know people have strong opinions on stones so need to know what to do as am total beginner! I rememebr my mum and grandad when I was little removing every stone, but is it really necessary? Surely some are good for drainage?

janeyo

While I am here, worms are good right? My beds are full of them.

[lainey lou]

Worms are great!!!!
I get rid of my stones as far as possible, don't get too stressed about it though.

[Vegetarian Fox]

Personally I would just try to remove the biggest, and press on at least for the first year

How much effort you put in in the long run partly depends on what you want to grow - root veg (carrots, beetroot etc) will be potentially be affected more.

If you want to remove sones easily it is worth constructing a simple sieve from old timber and chicken wire. Construct a wood frame about two foot square - ideally it will fit over your wheelbarrow so it rests on the sides and you can 'shuffle' it to seive the soil. Bend a piece of chicken wire of the chosen gauge across the bottom and fix with staples. It is also worth tacking a protective thin piece of wood around the bottom edge, otherwise the chicken wire will wear through quickly on the top of the wheel barrow.

Once you have this, simply position you wheelbarrow next to your bed, fill with 3 or 4 shovel loads, and sieve away. It is hard work but if you do a couple of barrows on each bed before you sow in the spring, it can make all the difference and is faster than picking them out. The only downside is you will probably have to import some more topsoil as you will remove a signficant volume of stones and your soil level will drop.

Happy gardening
VF

[veg4681]

Personally I can't stand them! You should have no problem removing the bigger ones but it's up to you with the smaller ones, just make sure your soil's not stony where you want to grow root vegetables like your carrots, parnips, radish etc with the fork shaped syndrome . BTW you can buy a green plastic garden sieve from DIY or GC quite cheaply.

[carlseawolf]

i've done the same with chicken wire but it's 4' by 2' and held up by two pallets , it's used for general ground clearance .
i dig a hole in what ever area i want to clear and it's normally about 4' square and a foot deep and rig the seive over the hole and then put the soil through it seperating soil from stones and roots that i throw into separate buckets for stones and weeds then put stones on the paths and weeds get dumped on a pile.

[Snadger]

Just remember that under every stone there will be moisture!

[Flummery]

I've seen really good crops of spuds grown on very stony soil on the wolds here. I would cetainly hoik out the big ones but try for a year and see what grows well. Carrots may not but all the above ground stuff, courgettes, cabbages, beans, peas etc should be fin. And as I say, spuds will likey just shove them out of the way.

Worms are a sign of fertile soil. Treasure them!

[Hans Mum]

i'd clear as many stones out of where you want to grow roots and just clear bigger ones out for stuff growing upwaards then clear again as you prepare your beds in future years
it takes a few years to get everything as youd like it to be but thats part of the fun (i think)

[bridget mc laughlin]

The best thing to do is take out all of the big stones and use them for holding down frost covers,but make sure and leave in some of the medium and small stones as they are mother natures own soil heaters.

[paplay]

We dug out our raised beds some 15 years ago in what was a small paddock that had previously had pigs on it. There had also been a building on the plot many, many years previously. The reason we chose this bit of land was that it had a good stone wall around it (V V important here!)
The ground was so stony - could not get a fork in 1". Excavated a diagonal trench right across the plot and filled it with the larger stones we got out. It must have taken the best part of 4 years to clear it to something sensible.
What I've found is that the wee stones work themselves up to the surface over time. So a quick surface collection in spring - when the winter rain has made the stones visible - will eventually clear the bulk of them. Yes - I can now grow carrots - but only dare try stump rooted!
Keep picking - but not to the point of hating it!

chris

[sewer rat]

My field backs onto a disused quarry so I know all about stones - don't let them bother you though. Just remove the big ones (and don't worry about any others too much)
I just take a wheelbarrow with me and remove them as I wander about, then dump them on my stone heap or leave them sitting on the surface for another day.
I grew stumpy carrots last season (Paris Market Atlas) but am gonna grow normal carrots this year - I don't care what they look like, and neither will my customers ! (not that they will have an option )

[bobleponge]

Stones???

There is a natural layer of slate all around our area, about 4 ft down. I recently had to dig a drain as water kept coming into the stable, and I pulled out so many stones it was untrue. Our entire garden is clay, with huge amounts of rubble/stones in it so the raised bed option was the only way for us, without years of back breaking work (very lazy I know).
I also pulled out a tree about 10ft long and 4ft thick, that was probably going to be used for the roof and cut to shape by hand. With the age of the house, that tree has probably been there since around the time of the crusades. Would love to date it and see just how old it is

[gardenplot]

I would just take out as many as you find on a daily base, and seive the soil that you will be sowing seeds in, this will give you a good seed start for growing, i have done raised beds for the same reason lots of stones in soil.

[moggssue]

I swear that the stones in my garden give birth several times a year, they seem to reproduce by the day! When I dug my veg plot last year I was like a mad woman trying to get rid of them but have now realised this isnt possible if I want to stay sane, so I just take them out as I go.

On the lottie, some of my neighbouring plots are absolutely covered in stones, I find it hard to believe they can grow anything among them, but obviously they must do. I shall adopt the same strategy of taking out the biggest but not stressing over it any more.

Look on the bright side, they should help with drainage/moisture retention!